gReetings...a brush up on digital brushes!

I wanted to share this new kit that came out yesterday...it's 6 fun brushes & images for all your gReeting needs. Perfect for cards, tags, notes, stationery, photos, personal blogs & scrapbook pages, of course! Offered in 6 black PNG files & 1 ABR brush file.
Note: PNG files can work with any program that will support & open PNG files. ABR brush file is compatible with PSE6+ & PSCS+. Not compatible with older versions of PSE & PS, hence, the PNG files.

 I've been getting a lot of emails with people asking about brushes. (maybe because so many of us are making our own Christmas cards digitally & then getting them printed?) So,here are a few answers!

Q: “I downloaded a brush kit & it has both .abr files & .png files?
What’s the difference?”

A: .ABR files are the actual brushes. Adobe PS & PSE can support .ABR files. You load them by double clicking/right clicking on your brush kit & voila! they appear in your Brush Palette! You can change colors in the Color Box, rotate, space, etc. all in the Brushes Palette.

Not all programs can support the actual .ABR files, so I offer the image sets as .PNG files. .PNG files can be dragged & dropped over something because they retain their transparent qualities.

You can recolor them, too.(see below)  You can not load them as .ABR files, so don’t try it!
But, you can create your own brushes. I.e. You can create your own brushes in older versions of PS or PSE and in PSP, you can create a ‘stamp’ out of the .PNG files.

Notice: If you load the .ABR files, & they say ‘not compatible’, it is because the brushes were created in a newer version of PS. So, you would just need to open up your .PNG files & create your own brushes.

 Q: "What are brushes?"

A: Think of the brushes as stamps. You 'dip' your brush/stamp into a color & then brush/stamp/click it onto your digital canvas. All brushes are different designs...some of my brush creations are borders, frames, swirls, alphabets, designs, pictures, shapes, words (like the above 'gReetings' )etc. 

Q: "What do they do?"

A: The world of brushes is so amazing. Let's say you have a swirl that you want to stamp onto your Christmas card. You choose blue, but you may want it to be subtle underneath the greeting.  So, you create a New Layer, then click the brush in blue.  You can adjust the Opacity to make it appear like vellum...a soft look. Then, on another New Layer, you'd stamp/click the brush in blue, pink or another color on top of it & you'd have a very interesting look!

This is how I created our family Christmas card.  All the brush work you see here is done on separate layers & I've adjusted the Opacity to make it interesting! 

Q: "How can I change colors? "

A: If you are using the PNG files, here's a great tutorial! (refer to the 'recoloring frame' part.) Basically, you are changing the black PNG file to a color overlay & you can choose any color you want!

If  you have the ABR brush file loaded , you can simply click on the color box & change the color of your brush/stamp. 

Q: "How can I make my own brush?" 

A: This is another amazing part of the world of brushes!  You can make a brush out of anything you want! ...a photo you've taken, your signature, a drawing you've made...etc!  This also works for those that use an older version of PS of PSE that is not 'compatible'' with the brushes I sell. ( I create in PSCS3 & so the brush files are only compatible with PSE6+ or PSCS+ as noted above.)

Creating Brushes:

1. Open your image to create your brush. (photos, PNG, whatever) Go to SELECT>ALL. This will create a brush out of the entire image. If you want to  make a brush of , let's say an eye in your photo, you'd select your Lasso Tool & draw around the eye.  You'll  see the 'marching ants' around the canvas or the area you've Lassoed.

2. Go to EDIT>DEFINE BRUSH. Name your brush when the box prompts you.  Voila! You've created a brush!  **This doesn’t mean your brush is saved. You may still lose it unless you save it. But, what if you have created the brushes with some others you don’t want saved with your own?
Save as a set.

Saving Brush Sets:
1. Select your Brush Palette. Notice the arrow.

Select the arrow & you will see the drop down menu.

2. Here, you will see where you can Reset, Load, Save, & Replace your brushes.

3. You will also be able to select the way you see your brushes. I.e. Text only, Small Thumbnail, etc.

4. Select Preset Manager.

5. Your Preset Manager Box will show up.

6. Here is where you can organize your sets. When you have created a set of brushes, you will open up your Preset Manager to save & name the set.

7. Simply select the opt/alt key as you hover your cursor over the particular brush you want to cut out.
A pair of scissors will show up. Click & it will be deleted or cut out.

8. When you have the brushes in the set, go to SELECT>ALL & click on ‘Save Set’.

9. Name the set. And save it in a folder you have designated for your own brushes.

 ***Keep those questions coming! They are great for me to answer, but with so many emails, I'll just be referring you to this post! LOL!

have fun & show me your brushes, Christmas cards & creations you make!

have a fab day!

R